I installed GSAK yesterday. It keeps wanting access to gc.com. I'm not sure I want to share my log in with GSAK. Is there a way to tell GSAK to forget about it and quit asking, or do people think its OK to let it have that info? It looks like gc.com isn't crazy about letting GSAK have your login.

It shouldn't be asking for your password, just your username or userid. It does this to help identify who you are so that when it is parsing the logs from PQs, it can attribute your log entries.

If you use the new API feature, you have to authenticate but you don't enter your password into GSAK that's all handled using OAUTH (similar to when you use facebook or google or yahoo to connect an app to their site).

It helps some, but I guess I am a little over the hill. I still don't quite know where my information is going. The GC.com throws up a box that looks like it's warning me that GSAK has access to a lot of my information.

Even if you authorize gsak to accss the gc.com api, it's not going to do anything to your account. The api lets you load PQs, search for caches, log caches, update cache info. But only if you run those features.

I installed GSAK yesterday. It keeps wanting access to gc.com. I'm not sure I want to share my log in with GSAK. Is there a way to tell GSAK to forget about it and quit asking, or do people think its OK to let it have that info? It looks like gc.com isn't crazy about letting GSAK have your login.

Further to what West Side Daddy said about OAUTH...

You are not actually entering your gc password into GSAK. GSAK never sees, and can't ever see, your password. Here's how API logins work, this is the same for many online gaming systems, and is how many sites let you log in using your google or facebook identity. This is the only way the GC API works, no matter what program you are using. This exact same process occurs with NeonGeo, Cachesense, etc...

If you tell GSAK you want to access your geocaching.com account, GSAK pops up a web page that comes DIRECTLY to your web browser from geocaching,com, not from GSAK.

When you enter in your username and password, that information ONLY goes to gc.com. When GSAK pulled that web page up for you, it embedded its serial number to identify this unique copy of GSAK.

Once you enter in a valid user/password, then GC actually sends a token, a unique, cryptic access password that has nothing to do with your own. GSAK remembers that TOKEN, but never knows your password.

So here's how the conversation goes, for non-techies:

You tell GSAK you want to link the new (versionn 8 or later) GSAK API to GC.com

GSAK, on your behalf, opens a web browser window, pointed at gc.com's API access site, saying "hey GC, this is GSAK serial number xxxxx, my user would like me to be able to access their PQs and caches"

GC: OK, hey user, what is your username and password?

You (via web page): User: Sky King 36, password XXXX

GC: OK, cool... Here, I will also send you a token (a unique password unrelated to your account password) "ABCDEFG" that will be stored in your GSAK settings. From now on, when GSAK copy serial number xxxxx opens an API session with me using token "ABCDEFG", I will allow it access.

For you concerned cachers GSAK is not a web based program. It is a stand alone on your PC.

So what information do you think it is sending out to where? Do you think it is collecting data off your PC and sending it to Clyde who will the sell it to all of those bad hackers?

What information do you have on GC.com that you don't want to share with yourself?

Do you use a phone app to log into GC.com? Why would that not concern you more since it requires over the air connectivity?

Clyde is trying to add capabilities to GSAK that are being asked for by his user base. One of the most useful capabilities recently added was the ability to mass up load your logs. Not just upload a field note. But to actually, have written all of your logs, hit submit and they all get logged at one time on one connection. So if you go out and have a big day, you down load your finds into GSAK, add your logs and then submit. And they all get logged automatically. You never even have to open your web browser to see the GC.com page. But if it doesn't have an authorization connection, it doesn't work._________________Airborne All the Way!

I haven't make the switcheroo to GSAK8 yet. I suppose the reality is that since I will need to switch eventually, I might as well do it now. Would someone give me a couple good reasons to motivate me to get it done? What are the best things about it.

I haven't make the switcheroo to GSAK8 yet. I suppose the reality is that since I will need to switch eventually, I might as well do it now. Would someone give me a couple good reasons to motivate me to get it done? What are the best things about it.

Also, is the API only available on 8?

Yes, the API is what drove the upgrade to 8, it isn't available in 7.

Whether GSAK 8 is a good investment for you depends entirely on how you use GSAK and what your GSAK workflow looks like. In my case, I download an average of 4 PQs per day into GSAK. I used to download these from the website into a directory, and then kick off the import in GSAK. Now I click the "download PQs" button... GSAK gets my list of PQs, automatically highlights the new ones that I haven't downloaded yet... and when I click OK it just does it all. Doesn't sound like much, but easily saves me a few minutes a day... 3 minutes a day is 18 hours a year, and that's 18 hours of cachin' baby! So for me the investment was a no-brainer.

If you aren't loading a lot of caches into GSAK, and then using GSAK to load your GPS... For instance, if you are just using it to keep stats, then the 8 upgrade doesn't offer you nearly as much.

Last edited by Sky King 36 on Sun May 27, 2012 6:54 am; edited 1 time in total

I have one question. I have GSAK 8 on my desktop but not on my laptop. I can't get my Nuvi to load with the POILoader on my desktop with Windows 7. I'm not sure what the hangup is. I can load the Nuvi from my laptop that has Windows Vista using POI Loader. I get alerts when I am close to a cache, the description, any hints, and the five most recent logs. I'm afraid to change anything on my laptop in case the macro won't work as it now does. If I update to GSAK 8 will it affect the macro? Just wondering._________________Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost